Arsenal are preparing to make Piero Hincapie’s switch from Bayer Leverkusen permanent after a hugely impressive campaign at Emirates Stadium, and with Mikel Arteta already making clear his intentions to trigger the deal, TEAMtalk can reveal.
The Gunners swooped to sign the 24-year-old on deadline day, 1 September, with his arrival further bolstering a very strong Arsenal rearguard. Having established himself as one of the leading defenders in the Bundesliga, the deal was seen as another transfer masterclass by sporting director Andrea Berta, who convinced Leverkusen to let him move to north London on a season’s loan deal worth €6m (£5.2m, $7m), but with a buy option fixed for €52m (£45m, $61m) at the season’s end.
And while the club officially maintains that no final decision has been made about the Ecuadorian defender, sources close to the Emirates confirm that Arteta is delighted with how Hincapie has settled into the squad.
A well-placed source, whose identity has been withheld on condition of anonymity, told TEAMtalk: “Piero has settled so well into the squad and the club as a whole. The staff are very happy with him, and he has just been getting better and better.”